Anything Goes Anything Goes *Promotions listed are subject to change without notice and based on availability. We make no guarantee that the promotions listed are available. Anything Goes Information Anything Goes Musical is performed at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in New York. Anything Goes NYC is directed by Kathleen Marshall and stars Sutton Foster and Joel Grey. Anything Goes Broadway features music and lyrics by Cole Porter. Show Info 0.0 out of 5 Stars 0.0% recommended it There are currently no reviews! Be the first to write a review! Sorry, your browser doesnt support iframes. Venue Hotel See a Production by the Tony Awarded Cast & Crew of the Anything Goes Musical on Broadway! Located in Book of Mormon Musical Summary Features: Anything Goes Musical relates the comical adventures of those aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London. In the play, stowaway Billy Crocker (Colin Donnell) attempts to win the love of heiress Hope Harcourt (Laura Osnes), who is engaged to another man. Billy is aided in his quest by nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Sutton Foster) and Public Enemy #13 Moonface Martin (Joel Grey). Why We Go: Anything Goes Musical made its Broadway debut in 1934.

This latest revival, directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall, features sets by Derek McLane, costumes by Martin Pakledinaz, and lights by Peter Kaczorowski. Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster stars as singer Reno Sweeney. Sutton Foster: Tony Award-winner Sutton Foster returns to Broadway as nightclub singer Reno Sweeney in the second Broadway revival of Anything Goes Musical. A talented actress and gifted teacher, Foster recently starred on Broadway as Princess Fiona in Shrek: The Musical, earning both Tony and Drama Desk nominations. Joel Grey: Joel Grey is one of the finest actors now working on Broadway. In his six-decade career, Grey has won a Tony, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe. He is perhaps best known for his performance as the Master of Ceremonies in the Broadway musical Cabaret. Expect him to bring new depths to Moonface Martin in this production of Anything Goes Broadway. Kathleen Marshall: This production of Anything Goes Musical benefits from the talents of director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall. One of the most talked-about choreographers on Broadway, Kathleen Marshall has won two Tony Awards and two Drama Desk Awards for Best Choreography.

Inside Knowledge: Anything Goes Musical has been filmed twice, once in 1936 and again in 1956, and has been revived several times both in the United States and in Britain. This much-hyped Broadway production is the musical's second Broadway revival. Do's and Don'ts: Do Watch the Movie: Anything Goes Broadway has been filmed two times, in 1936 and 1956. Both versions starred Bing Crosby and featured substantial modifications to the original plot. Do Buy the Cast Recording: We recommend picking up a copy of the 1987 Broadway cast recording of Anything Goes Musical. Here you'll find Broadway classics such as "Anything Goes," "It's De-Lovely," and "You're the Top." Don't Disclude the Kids: Anything Goes Broadway is a suitable for all ages, making it a great family friendly Broadway play, but do note that children under twelve may find the plot complexities difficult to follow. Don't Starve Mid-Show: Concessions for Anything Goes Musical are provided by Broadway's premier concessionaire, Sweet Concessions. Be sure to pick up a snack and a signature cocktail.

Anything Goes (1936) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A young man falls in love with a beautiful blonde. When he sees her being forced onto a luxury liner, he decides to follow and rescue her. However, he discovers that she is an English ... See full summary » Director: 6 June 2013 6:00 AM, -08:00 | Variety - Film News Around The Web a list of 39 titles created 12 Jul 2012 a list of 21 titles created 05 Sep 2012 a list of 30 titles created 14 May 2013 a list of 23 titles created 16 Jul 2014 a list of 16 titles created 3 months ago Search for " Anything Goes " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin.

Bill Benson and Ted Adams are to appear in a Broadway show together and, while in Paris, each 'discovers' the perfect leading lady for the plum female role. Each promises the prize role to ... See full summary » Director: Robert Lewis In an attempt to win his girlfriend's affections, Westley Little puts it all on the line believing that when it comes to love, anything goes. Director: Bruno Marino 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X Larry Poole, in prison on a false charge, promise an inmate that when he gets out he will look up and help out a family. The family turns out to be a young girl, Patsy Smith, and her ... See full summary » Director: Norman Z. McLeod As told to a psychiatrist: Mr. Peabody, middle-aged Bostonian on vacation with his wife in the Caribbean, hears mysterious, wordless singing on an uninhabited rock in the bay. Fishing in ... See full summary » Director: Irving Pichel Popular songwriter Oliver Courtney has been getting by for years using one ghost writer for his music and another for his lyrics.

When both writers meet at an inn, they fall in love and ... See full summary » Director: Victor Schertzinger A rich and famous singer disguises himself as a waiter in order to be near the woman he loves, a European princess. Director: Frank Tuttle A college professor and the school's star football player are both rivals for the same beautiful coed. Director: Wesley Ruggles Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts together a band, the Basin Street Hot-Shots, which includes a cornet player, Memphis. ... See full summary » Director: Victor Schertzinger Cowboy Jeff Larabee returns from the east and meets Doris Halloway, a young girl, that he regards as a vagabond, till he learns that she's the owner of the farm where he works. He tries to ... See full summary » Director: Norman Taurog Dr. Bill Remsen pretends to be a policeman, and ends up being assigned to guard Judy Marlowe. Amazingly, he falls in love with her. Director: Frank Tuttle Jed Potter looks back on a love triangle conducted over the course of years and between musical numbers.

Dancer Jed loves showgirl Mary, who loves compulsive nightclub-opener Johnny, who ... See full summary » Directors: Stuart Heisler, Mark Sandrich Stars: Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Joan Caulfield In 18th-century Italy, an orphan's debt to the man who raised him threatens to separate him forever from the woman he loves. Directors: Mervyn LeRoy, Michael Curtiz Stars: Fredric March, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Woods Edit Storyline A young man falls in love with a beautiful blonde. When he sees her being forced onto a luxury liner, he decides to follow and rescue her. However, he discovers that she is an English heiress who ran away from home and is now being returned to England. He also discovers that his boss is on the ship. To avoid discovery, he disguises himself as the gangster accomplice of a minister, who is actually a gangster on the run from the law.

Written by frankfob2@yahoo.com An Explosion of Merriment See more » Genres: 24 January 1936 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Tops Is the Limit See more » Box Office Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording) Color: Did You Know? Trivia One of over 700 Paramount productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. See more » Quotes [first lines] Reno Sweeney : [singing] In olden days a glimpse of stocking / Was looked on as something shocking, / Now, Heaven knows, / Anything goes! [as she sings the words "anything goes", the title of the film appears onscreen] User Reviews This initial film version of Anything Goes is quite enjoyable for fans of Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, and Cole Porter 30 November 2014 | by tavm (Baton Rouge, La.) – See all my reviews After so many years of knowing this was on YouTube, I finally decided to watch this initial film version of Cole Porter's musical Anything Goes.

Ethel Merman reprises her Broadway role as Reno Sweeney and got to sing the Porter songs, "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "You're the Top" which she performed with the other film star, Bing Crosby, though both songs had some lyric changes either because of the Production Code or because Paramount didn't want to have stars not contracted to that studio mentioned in the latter song. Oh, and "Anything Goes" was only sung briefly by Merman at the beginning. Anyway, this was quite a funny farce though it takes a while before one gets what's going on and even then, you have to really pay attention to understand it! Charlie Ruggles is a hoot as someone disguising as a missionary man and Margaret Dumont is her funny dowager self sharing a scene with him. The non-Porter songs aren't bad, either, and Ida Lupino was a luminous leading lady here. So on that note, this version of Anything Goes is worth a look. P.S. The reason I decided to watch this now was because I've been reviewing the Our Gang shorts in chronological order as well as some films outside of the series that has some of those kid players in the same way.

So it was that OG player Jerry Tucker has a part here doing some mischief between Crosby, Merman, and Ruggles and another man who's laying in a deck chair. And the version I watched on YT had the alternate title, Tops Is the Limit. 1 of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE: MOVIE REVIEW: ANYTHING GOES A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE A nostalgic journey to the past to relive the golden days of entertainment! Monday, August 20, 2012 MOVIE REVIEW: ANYTHING GOES The musical Anything Goes was a superb Cole Porter broadway show when it opened in the 1930s. Since its 1934 debut at the Neil Simon Theatre (at the time known as the Alvin) on Broadway, the musical has been revived several times in the United States and Britain and has been filmed twice. The musical had a tryout in Boston, before opening on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on November 21, 1934.

It ran for 420 performances, becoming the fourth longest-running musical of the 1930s, despite the impact of the Great Depression on Broadway patrons' disposable income. The movie was first filmed in 1936 with Bing Crosby and Ethel Merman, but it bared little resemblance to the broadway show. Twenty years later, Bing was ending his contract with Paramount Studios after twenty four years with the studio. His last movie for Paramount would be an updated version of Anything Goes in 1956. Though this film again starred Bing Crosby (whose character was once more renamed), Donald O'Connor, and comedian Phil Harris in a cameo, the new film almost completely excised the rest of the characters in favor of a totally new plot. The film features almost no similarities to the play or 1936 film, apart from some songs and the title. I have always enjoyed this 1956 swan song Bing made for Paramount. However, this movie could have been a great movie and not just a good or fair movie. I think my biggest problem with the film was Bing's co-star Zizi Jeanmaire.

She was a popular French ballet dancer, who was married to the choreographer of the movie Roland Petit. Whether she got him his job on the film or visa versa, I don't know. However, she was totally wrong as Bing's love interest. Bing and Jeanmaire just did not have the chemistry. She was a fine dancer, but the Cole Porter song "I Get A Kick Out Of You" was wasted on her limited vocal ability. Speaking of the Cole Porter score, Paramount did a grave injustice by tearing apart the great Broadway score. The primary musical numbers ("Anything Goes", "You're the Top", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "It's De-Lovely" and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow") with updated arrangements appear in the film, while the lesser-known Porter songs were cut completely, and new songs, written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, were substituted. I enjoy the music of Cahn and Van Heusen, and they wrote some of the great songs in Frank Sinatra's songbook. However, when they wrote for Bing in the 1950s, the songs sounded tired and corny.

The two songs they wrote for Bing were "Ya Gotta Give the People Hoke" and "A Second Hand Turbin". Bing deserved better songs than this. One more thing I would have done differently with the film is the use of Phil Harris. Harris not only was a great personality and singer but also a personal friend of Bing. In the movie he played the father of Mitzi Gaynor. He had a good role in the film, but Harris did not have much interaction with Bing. I think that was a wasted opportunity for a musical number between the two. It would have made for some great cinema. Again, while the 1956 version of Anything Goes is no Singin' In The Rain, it is not a bad movie. It was one of the first Bing movies I remember watching and dispite what I would change, I think the pairing of Bing and Donald O'Connor was great. Also the finale of "Blow Gabriel Blow" is a fitting end to Bing's association with Paramount. He helped to save the studio from bankruptcy in 1932, and Bing was one of the studio's biggest stars for the next two decades...

MY RATING: 7 OUT OF 10 Posted by Amazon.com: Anything Goes: Movies & TV Movies & TV Sorry, there was a problem. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again. Sorry, there was a problem. List unavailable. Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon Image Unavailable Sorry, this item is not available in Image not available To view this video download Flash Player Unlimited Streaming with Amazon Prime Start your 30-day free trial to stream thousands of movies & TV shows included with Prime. Start your free trial See all buying options Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Next Special Offers and Product Promotions By Energeticus on June 10, 2016 Format: DVD|Verified Purchase It's not easy to review a movie with a fairly tedious script but with truly wonderful musical and dance numbers, songs by Cole Porter and dancers of the caliber of Mitzi Gaynor, Donald O'Connor, and JeanMarie.

Once you've seen the whole thing, you can subsequently just go for the numbers and skip the rest. On the basis of the numbers alone, I really think this DVD should be re-mastered and turned into a blu-ray. The '50s Technicolor and Vista Vision are great but are not done justice to by the only passable DVD resolution. My favorite dance numbers are probably "It's De-Lovely" with Mitzi and Donald dancing quite acrobatically on the top deck on an ocean liner, "You Can Bounce Right Back," with Donald and a gaggle of children in a shipboard nursery, and the closing number with the full cast: "Blow, Gabriel Blow." Normally, I love '50s ballet sequences, but JeanMarie, though an accomplished dancer, seems to me to lack the stage/screen presence and sex-appeal that she's supposed to embody. She must have been wonderful when she was younger, but here -- sorry to say -- she seems past her prime.

Compare her, for example, with Leslie Caron in "Daddy Long Legs." In any case, JeanMarie seems well suited to her love interest, the paternal figure of Bing Crosby, whose singing is as good as ever but who also kind of lacks pizazz. Actually, Mitzi really tends to steal the show here. As always, she is the total package: beautiful, sexy, a fantastic dancer, a good singer with an appealing if not supple voice, and total energy and savvy in every word and movement. By Byron Kolln HALL OF FAME on November 23, 2005 Format: DVD|Verified Purchase ANYTHING GOES was Bing Crosby's final film with Paramount, and was perhaps an attempt to capatalise on the huge success of WHITE CHRISTMAS (but more about that later). Donald O'Connor, Mitzi Gaynor and lithsome ballet star Zizi Jeanmaire appear alongside. The film really bears no similarity to the Broadway "Anything Goes" save for the wonderful Cole Porter score (and even that has been somewhat ransacked with several inferior additions from Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen). The original production of "Anything Goes" was written by Guy Bolton and P.G.

Wodehouse, with later revisions by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The film ditches the entire original story in favour of a Sidney Sheldon-penned screenplay. The story concerns a suave Broadway star (Bing Crosby) who is paired with a brash TV personality (Donald O'Connor) in a new Broadway show. Whilst on separate vacations, they each hire who they believe is the ideal leading-lady for the upcoming show: a pretty blonde American showgirl (Gaynor) and a dramatic Parisian cabaret star (Jeanmaire). They all board the luxury liner headed back to New York, trying their best to decide on which girl they will have to drop...but of course, love wins the day. With the huge success of WHITE CHRISTMAS, Paramount hoped to capatilise on it's success by having Bing star in another 4-hander "catalogue" musical, built around the Cole Porter-"Anything Goes" score. What emerged was hardly a hit, but ANYTHING GOES is a charming afternoon of entertainment. Zizi Jeanmaire is ideally-showcased in 2 routines staged by her husband Roland Petit: a rousing "I Get a Kick Out of You" and a striking "Dream Ballet".

Her acting is well-judged and she offers an all-round accomplished performance in her second feature film (following HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN). Mitzi Gaynor and her bubbly screen energy is in fine form here, performing the Title Number as well as "It's De-Lovely" with O'Connor. Capable character actors Phil Harris and Kurt Kasznar are featured in good supporting roles. Look closely for Bess Flowers, the legendary "featured extra", in the ship dining-room sequences. Paramount's DVD offers a pristine 16:9 image, though sadly no extra features whatsoever. But ANYTHING GOES was never even released on videocassette, so a DVD release of this film has been a nice surprise. By S. Black on October 29, 2015 Format: DVD|Verified Purchase Not the greatest movie musical but up there with the next tier of thoroughly enjoyable examples of the genre, this one rich with performances of delightful Cole Porter songs. And in the "It's De-lovely" number, Mitzi Gaynor and Donald O'Connor get pretty close to an Astaire-Rogers performance. Finally, as a swan song for Bing Crosby, it works just fine.

He leaves us with the inimitable style that he brought to so many musical films and not once does he seem to be pushing it or lacking in full enthusiasm for this happy farewell. Highly recommended!. Anything Goes (1956) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Bill Benson and Ted Adams are to appear in a Broadway show together and, while in Paris, each 'discovers' the perfect leading lady for the plum female role. Each promises the prize role to ...

See full summary » Director: a list of 21 titles created 05 Sep 2012 a list of 47 titles created 20 Mar 2013 a list of 46 titles created 04 Mar 2014 a list of 6 titles created 04 Nov 2014 a list of 30 titles created 23 May 2015 Search for " Anything Goes " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. A young man falls in love with a beautiful blonde. When he sees her being forced onto a luxury liner, he decides to follow and rescue her. However, he discovers that she is an English ... See full summary » Director: Lewis Milestone In an attempt to win his girlfriend's affections, Westley Little puts it all on the line believing that when it comes to love, anything goes.

Director: Bruno Marino After writing a tell-all book about her days in the dance troupe "Barry Nichols and Les Girls", Sybil Wren (Kay Kendall) is sued for libeling her fellow dancer Angele (Taina Elg). A Rashomon ... See full summary » Director: George Cukor A musical remake of Ninotchka: After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka is sent to ... See full summary » Director: Rouben Mamoulian Two vaudeville performers fall in love, but find their relationship tested by the arrival of WWI. Director: Busby Berkeley An inaccurate retelling of the life of silent filmmaker and comedian Buster Keaton. Director: Sidney Sheldon On Christmas Eve, a struggling Hollywood scriptwriter receives a very unexpected present: juvenile delinquent Susan Landis. Director: Frank Tashlin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X Two Americans on a hunting trip in Scotland become lost.

They encounter a small village, not on the map, called Brigadoon, in which people harbor a mysterious secret, and behave as if they were still living two hundred years in the past. Director: Vincente Minnelli 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X In this sequel to Father of the Bride (1950), newly married Kay Dunstan announces that she and her husband are going to have a baby, leaving her father having to come to grips with the fact that he will soon be a granddad. Director: Vincente Minnelli On a train trip West to become a mail order bride Susan Bradley meets a cheery crew of young women traveling out to open a " Harvey House " restaurant at a remote whistle stop to provide ... See full summary » Director: George Sidney Charlie Reader is a successful theater agent. He is also successful with young ladies. One day he is visited by his old friend Joe, married with three children. Joe falls in love with ... See full summary » Director: Charles Walters The story of the great sharpshooter Annie Oakley , who rose to fame while dealing with her love/professional rival, Frank Butler.

Directors: George Sidney, Busby Berkeley Stars: Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern Edit Storyline Bill Benson and Ted Adams are to appear in a Broadway show together and, while in Paris, each 'discovers' the perfect leading lady for the plum female role. Each promises the prize role to the girl they selected without informing the other until they head back across the Atlantic by liner - with each man having brought his choice along! It becomes a stormy crossing as each man has to tell his 'find' that she might not get the role after all. Written by Alfred Jingle April 1956 (USA) See more » Also Known As: A Quadrilha do Amor See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia In the title song Anything Goes, the line is "Now only use FOUR letter words, but in the movie Mitzi Gaynor sings "Now only use THREE letter words." The Production Code Administration, or "the Breen Office," would have banned "FOUR letter words" on the grounds of implied obscenity. See more » Goofs During the dancing for "It's De-lovely" there are more footsteps in the sound track than they are making with their feet.

See more » Connections (Buffalo, New York) – See all my reviews In 1956 Bing Crosby wound up his 25 year old contract with Paramount pictures. It remains the second longest contract for any star with any studio, only exceeded by Robert Taylor with MGM. This second version of Anything Goes was his farewell film for the studio. Bing should have quit with White Christmas. Again, Hollywood under the Code was to squeamish about filming any of Cole Porter's musicals. As they did in 1936 with that version of Anything Goes, it was censored heavily. Cole Porter's original score did not make it intact to the screen again. Other Porter songs were used and a few numbers written by James Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn. As for the plot the only similarity is that it takes place on an ocean liner. In this one we have recent partners Bing Crosby and Donald O'Connor each signing a leading lady for their new Broadway show. Both of their finds, Zizi Jeanmaire and Mitzi Gaynor are on the ocean liner with them. Mix the inevitable romantic complications and if you're any kind of a movie fan you'll figure what the result will be.

Phil Harris is also on hand as Mitzi Gaynor's father. One of the little known facts of Hollywood was that Harris was one of Bing Crosby's best friends in the motion picture capital. Harris had appeared with Bing previously in Here Comes the Groom, but that was only in one musical number. He has a nice turn here as a professional gambler that the IRS is looking to nail. Usually Bing Crosby movies are just that, Bing is normally partnered with non-musical talent. Here he has three talented performers to share the spotlight with. All have some good numbers. I particularly liked Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor singing and dancing to It's DeLovely. This was a reunion film for Crosby and O'Connor. Donald O'Connor got his first big break as a child actor in Bing's Sing You Sinners back in 1938. But that one was a far superior film. If you like the talented performers involved, this is a good film. But Paramount should have done better by Bing in his farewell film for them. 12 of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Anything Goes Anything Goes Music and Lyrics Cole Porter, Book by Guy Bolton and P.G.

Wodehouse Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, heavily revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London. Billy Crocker is a stowaway in love with heiress Hope Harcourt, who is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney and Public Enemy #13 Moonface Martin aid Billy in his quest to win Hope. The musical introduced such songs as “Anything Goes,” “You’re the Top,” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.” Since its 1934 debut at the Neil Simon Theatre (at the time known as the Alvin) on Broadway, the musical has been revived several times in the United States and Britain and has been filmed twice. The musical has long been a popular choice for school and community productions.[1] Run Stephen Sondheim Theatre, NY, USA History Anything Goes is a farce set below decks on an ocean liner bound for London from New York.

The original idea came from producer Vinton Freedley, who was living on a boat, having left the US to avoid his creditors.[2] He selected the writing team, and the star, Ethel Merman. The first draft of the show was called Crazy Week, which became Hard to Get, and finally Anything Goes. Hard to Get was set on a mid-ocean liner that was in danger, but, just a few weeks before the show was due to open, a fire on board the passenger ship SS Morro Castle caused the deaths of 137 passengers and crew. According to one version,[3] Freedley judged that to proceed with a show on a similar subject would be in dubious taste and he insisted on changes to the script. But theatre historian Lee Davis maintains that Freedley wanted the script changing because it was “a hopeless mess.”[4] Bolton and Wodehouse were no longer available, so Freedley turned to his director, Howard Lindsay, who recruited Russel Crouse as his collaborator, beginning a lifelong writing partnership.

The roles of Billy Crocker and Moonface Martin were written for the well-known comedy team, William Gaxton and Victor Moore, and Gaxton’s talent for assuming various disguises was featured in the libretto. According to theatre legend, the show’s new title, along with the title number, was born from the haste with which the show was revamped: at a late-night production meeting, an exasperated and over-worked member of the production team cried out “And just how in the hell are we going to end the first act?” “At this point,” responded one of the producers, being more helpful than he realized, “anything goes!” Porter wrote the majority of Anything Goes in the Rosecliff mansion in Newport, RI while staying as a houseguest there. Synopsis Three versions of the libretto of Anything Goes exist: the original 1934 libretto, the 1962 revival libretto, and the 1987 revival libretto. The story has been revised, though all involve similar romantic complications aboard the S.S. American and feature the same major characters.

The score has been altered, with some songs cut and others reassigned to different scenes and characters, and augmented with various Porter songs from other shows. Act I Billy Crocker, a young Wall Street broker, has fallen in love with a beautiful girl he met in a taxi. His boss, Elisha J. Whitney, is preparing to make a business deal and is going to travel to London aboard the S.S. “American”. Evangelist turned nightclub singer Reno Sweeney will be traveling aboard the same ship. Even though Reno and Billy are just friends, she tells him “I Get A Kick Out Of You.” Billy goes to the dock to bid “Bon Voyage” to his boss and Reno and glimpses the mysterious girl. She is heiress Hope Harcourt and, escorted by her mother, Mrs. Harcourt, is on her way to England with her fiancé Sir Evelyn Oakleigh, an attractive but stuffy and hapless British nobleman. Billy stows away on the ship in hopes of winning Hope’s heart.

“Moonface” Martin, a second-rate [gangster] labeled “Public Enemy 13”, and his friend Bonnie (Erma in 1987) have disguised themselves as a minister and a missionary and innocently aided by Billy, board the ship under their assumed identities, stranding the ship’s real chaplain back at the port. Moonface and Bonnie mistakenly leave behind their leader, “Snake Eyes” Johnson, Public Enemy 1. To thank Billy, Bonnie and Moonface let him have Snake Eyes Johnson’s passport and ticket without telling him to whom they belong. Billy convinces Sir Evelyn that he is quite seasick and when he goes below deck, Billy and Hope meet again and realize each has been thinking of the other “All Through The Night”. Though Hope prefers Billy, she insists she must marry Evelyn, not revealing to Billy her family’s company is in financial trouble and a marriage to Evelyn would promote a merger and save the company. The ship’s crew gets a cable from New York saying that Public Enemy 1 is on board. Moonface admits his true identity to Billy and he and Bonnie conspire to disguise Billy as a crew member since he is now presumed to be Snake Eyes Johnson.

A quartet of sailors proclaim that “There’ll Always Be a Lady Fair” waiting on shore for each of them. On deck, Bonnie proclaims, “Where Are the Men?,” attracting a group of sailors. She returns to Billy and Moonface with a sailor suit. Hope discusses her impending marriage with Evelyn and discovers that he is not particularly pleased with the engagement either. Billy asks Reno to help separate Evelyn and Hope, and she agrees. Billy and Reno declare to each other, “You’re the Top”. Reno flirts with Evelyn, who invites her for a drink in his cabin. She and Moon plot that Moon should burst into the cabin and discover Reno half-naked in Evelyn’s arms, providing sufficient reason for breaking off the engagement. However, when Moon breaks into the room, machine gun in tow, he instead sees Reno fully-dressed and Evelyn nearly undressed. Moon tries to invent some indecent explanation for the situation, but Evelyn insists that he would be quite pleased by any rumor depicting him as a passionate lover, especially if Hope heard it. Moon admits that the plot has failed.

The crew has caught on to Billy’s sailor disguise, and Moon and Reno create a new disguise for him from a stolen pair of trousers, a drunk’s jacket, and hair cut from Mrs. Harcourt’s Pomeranian and made into a beard. Reno tells Billy that Evelyn has kissed her, and she is sure she will be Lady Oakleigh soon since nowadays “Anything Goes”. Mrs. Harcourt, recognizing her dog’s hair, angrily pulls off Billy’s beard and the crew and passengers realize he must be the wanted man. As Snake Eyes Johnson, Billy is an instant celebrity. Act II Billy is honored by both crew and passengers as “Public Enemy Number One.” He tells the Captain that Moon (who is still disguised as a minister) is helping him reform from his wicked ways. Moon is asked to lead a revival in the ship’s lounge. The passengers confess their sins to the “Reverend”, and Sir Evelyn admits to a one-night stand with a young Chinese woman, Plum Blossom. Hope is not impressed with Billy’s charade, and to please her, he confesses to everyone that he is not really Snake Eyes Johnson. Moon attempts to compensate by revealing that he is not a minister; he is Public Enemy Number Thirteen.

The captain sends them both to the brig. Reno then puts her evangelistic training to good use and, continuing the revival, leads the anthem “Blow, Gabriel, Blow”. Moon tries to cheer Billy up by urging him to “Be Like the Bluebird”. Billy doubts he will ever see Hope again; he and Moon cannot leave their cell until they return to America. Their card-playing Chinese cellmates, who have been imprisoned for winning all the cash in third class, will be put ashore in England. Moon and Billy win their clothes in a game of strip poker. Billy, Moon, and Reno show up at the Oakleigh estate in Chinese garb. Billy and Moon tell Oakleigh’s uncle that they are the parents of “Plum Blossom” and threaten to publicize Evelyn’s indescretion if he does not marry her. Uncle Oakleigh offers to buy them off and Moon gleefully accepts the cash, much to Billy and Reno’s chagrin. Billy and Reno find Hope and Evelyn, who are unhappy with the prospect of their matrimony. Hope declares that she wildly wants to marry Billy (“The Gypsy in Me”). Billy spots Whitney and finally learns that Evelyn and Hope’s planned marriage is really an awkward business merger.

Billy savvily knows that Uncle Oakleigh is manipulating them all; Hope’s company is really worth millions and Billy informs Whitney of that fact. Whitney offers to buy the firm from Hope at an exorbitant price, and she accepts. The marriage is called off since a merger is now impossible. Billy and Hope get married, as do Reno and Evelyn. A cable from the U.S. government fixes Billy’s passport problems and declares Moon “harmless”. Moon indignantly pockets Oakleigh’s check and refuses to return it. Broadway The musical had a tryout in Boston, before opening on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre on November 21, 1934. It ran for 420 performances, becoming the fourth longest-running musical of the 1930s, despite the impact of the Great Depression on Broadway patrons’ disposable income. Directed by Howard Lindsay with choreography by Robert Alton and sets by Donald Oenslager, it starred Ethel Merman as Reno Sweeney, William Gaxton as Billy Crocker and Victor Moore as Moonface Martin. West End Charles B.

Cochran, a British theatrical manager had bought the London performance rights during the show’s Boston run,[3] and he produced it at the West End’s Palace Theatre. The musical opened on June 14, 1935 and ran for 261 performances. The cast included Jeanne Aubert as Reno Sweeney (the name changed to Reno La Grange), Sydney Howard as Moonface Martin and Jack Whiting as Billy Crocker. P. G. Wodehouse was engaged to replace the specifically American references in the book and lyrics with references more appropriate to an English audience.[6] 1962 Off Broadway revival The production was revived in an Off Broadway production in 1962, opening on May 15, 1962 at the Orpheum Theatre. It was directed by Lawrence Kasha with a cast that included Hal Linden as Billy Crocker, Kenneth Mars as Sir Eveltn, and Eileen Rodgers as Reno Sweeney. For this revival, the script was revised to incorporate several of the changes from the movie versions. Most changes revolved around the previously minor character Bonnie.

This revision was also the first stage version of Anything Goes to incorporate several songs from other Porter shows: “Take Me Back to Manhattan” from The New Yorkers, 1930, “It’s De-Lovely” from Red Hot and Blue, 1934, “Friendship” from DuBarry Was a Lady, 1939, and “Let’s Misbehave” from Paris, 1928. 1987 Broadway revival For the 1987 Broadway revival, John Weidman and Timothy Crouse (Russel’s son) updated the book and re-ordered the musical numbers, using Cole Porter songs from other Porter shows, a practice which the composer often engaged in.The music was rescored for a 16-piece swing band, in the style of early Benny Goodman, instead of the earlier 28-piece orchestrations.[7] This production opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, in Lincoln Center, on October 19, 1987, and ran for 784 performances.

With direction by Jerry Zaks and choreography by Michael Smuin, it starred Patti LuPone as Reno Sweeney, Howard McGillin as Billy, Bill McCutcheon as Moonface, and Anthony Heald as Lord Evelyn. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards (including LuPone, Heald and McGillin), winning for Best Revival of a Musical, Best featured actor (McCutcheon), and Best Choreography. The production also won the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Revival of a Musical and LuPone won the Outstanding Actress award. Leslie Uggams and Linda Hart were replacement Renos. 1989 West End revival When British actress/singer Elaine Paige heard of the success of the 1987 Broadway production, she attended a performance of it and was determined to bring the show to London. To secure a place in the show’s cast, Paige decided it was best she co-produced the show with her then partner, lyricist Tim Rice. The London production opened in July 1989 at the Prince Edward Theatre.

Paige starred as Reno Sweeney (she was replaced later in the run by Louise Gold) while John Barrowman played Billy Crocker, at one stage during the show’s run.[8] The original cast also starred Bernard Cribbins as Moonface and Kathryn Evans as Erma. The show transferred to Australia the same year and played in both Sydney and Melbourne starring Geraldine Turner in the role of Reno Sweeney. 2002 Concert In April 2002, a one-night-only concert performance of the show was performed at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. Patti LuPone played Reno with Howard McGillan as Billy and Boyd Gaines as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. LuPone and Gaines would later star together in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy. The performance was directed and choreographed by Robert Longbottom with music supervision by David Chase and designs by Tony Walton. 2002-2003 London and West End revivals The National Theatre revived the musical, which opened at the Olivier Theatre on December 18, 2002 and closed on March 22, 2003.

The production then transferred to the West End at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, running from September 26, 2003 (in previews) through August 28, 2004. Directed by Trevor Nunn, it starred Sally Ann Triplett and John Barrowman. A cast recording of this production is available.[9] 2011 Broadway revival A revival of the 1987 Broadway rewrite opened on April 7, 2011 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company. Previews began on March 10, 2011. This production is directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall with musical supervision by Rob Fisher, dance arrangements by David Chase and designs by Derek McLane and Martin Pakledinaz. This revival retains much of the 1987 orchestrations by the late Michael Gibson with some additions from arranger Bill Elliott.

The show’s cast includes Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney, Joel Grey as Moonface Martin, Laura Osnes as Hope Harcourt, Jessica Walter as Evangeline Harcourt, Colin Donnell as Billy Crocker, Adam Godley as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, John McMartin as Elisha Whitney, Jessica Stone as Erma[10], Robert Creighton as Purser, Andrew Cao as Luke, Raymond J. Lee as John, and Walter Charles as the Captain.[11][12] The production has been received generally very well by the critics and has received a total of 9 Tony Award nominations and 10 Drama Desk Award nominations, including Best Actress in a Musical, Best Director of a Musical and Best Revival of a Musical.

The revival won the Drama Desk Awards and Tony Awards for Best Revival and Best Choreography and Foster won the Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical.[13] The production was originally scheduled to run through July 31, 2011, but “will extend past its current, already-extended January 2012 end date”.[14] A cast recording of this production will be available as a digital download on August 23, 2011 and will arrive in stores on September 20, 2011.[15] A U.S national tour of this production will begin in Fall 2012. Casting and dates have yet to be announced.[14] In 1936, Paramount Pictures turned Anything Goes into a movie musical. It starred Ethel Merman (again as Reno), with Bing Crosby in the role of Billy Crocker. Other cast members included Ida Lupino, Charles Ruggles, Arthur Treacher, and Margaret Dumont. The director was Lewis Milestone. Among those contributing new songs were Hoagy Carmichael, Richard A. Whiting, Leo Robin, and Friedrich Hollaender.

The book was drastically rewritten for a second film version, also by Paramount, released in 1956. This movie again starred Bing Crosby (whose character was once more renamed) and Donald O’Connor. The female leads were Zizi Jeanmaire and Mitzi Gaynor. The script departed significantly from the original story and was written by Sidney Sheldon. The lesser-known Porter songs were cut, and new songs, written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn, were substituted. In short, it became a new movie that used some Porter songs. In 1954, Ethel Merman, at the age of forty-six, reprised her role as Reno in a specially adapted television version of the musical, co-starring Frank Sinatra as the hero, now renamed Harry Dane, and Merman’s good friend Bert Lahr (who had co-starred with her on Broadway in DuBarry Was a Lady) as Moonface Martin. This version was shown as an episode of the Colgate Comedy Hour, and has been preserved on kinescope.

This version used five of the original songs plus several other Porter numbers, retained the shipboard setting, but had a somewhat different plot.[16] It has been reported that Merman and Sinatra did not get along well; this was the only time they worked together. Title song was used for PBS’ American Experience documentary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt because of the last verse of the song. In the 1972 movie What’s Up, Doc?, the song “You’re The Top” is sung for the opening and closing credits by Barbra Streisand. Ryan O’Neal joins her for the closing credits and this marks his only on-screen singing in a movie. The movie uses at least two other tunes from this musical as background music: “Anything Goes” and “I Get a Kick Out of You,” are heard during the first hotel-lobby scene. In the 1974 movie Blazing Saddles, “I Get a Kick Out of You” is performed comedically by Cleavon Little and the other actors portraying black railroad workers, complete with a full harmony arrangement. In the 1984 film, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, Kate Capshaw performs the title song in Mandarin.

In the Family Guy episode “Saving Private Brian”, the Sergeant trainer claims “Anything Goes” to be one of his most favorite shows. In another episode Lois wants to sing showtunes in the car. She begins to sing “Anything Goes”. In an episode of Summer Heights High Mr G cancels a production of “Anything Goes” one week before opening. In the play Dancing at Lughnasa by Irish playwirght Brian Friel, the song “Anything Goes” is played on the radio and sung by Gerry Evans to Aggie and Chris. The song basically sums up the entire concept of the play: times changing and people changing with them In an episode of Gilmore Girls, “You’re The Top” is sung with slight lyrical changes. The song “Anything Goes” is played on Galaxy News Radio, a fictional radio station, in the post-apocalyptic video game Fallout 3. During the latter half of Bioshock, “You’re The Top” can be heard playing from a Rapture radio. Title song used as the title of the 2008 autobiography by John Barrowman, who starred as Billy Crocker in 1989, 2002 and 2003.

In an episode of Married…with Children called “Can’t Dance, Don’t Ask Me” Steve teaches Kelly to tap dance to “Anything Goes” TIME magazine reported in its May 26, 2008 issue, p. 51, that this musical tied (with Guys and Dolls) as the tenth most frequently produced musical by U.S. high schools in 2007. Schwartz, Charles (2004). Cole Porter: A Biography. New York: Da Capo Press. pp. 132. ISBN 0306800977. Jasen, David A (1975). P G Wodehouse: A Portrait of a Master. London: Garnstone Press. pp. 143. ISBN 0-85511-190-9. Davis, Lee (1993). Bolton and Wodehouse and Kern. New York: James H Heineman. pp. 332. ISBN 0-87008-145-4.

Question: Who starred twice in the musical 'Anything Goes' in 1936 and again in 1956?
Answer: Bing Crosby